Thursday, June 5, 2008

Our Sunporch ...The Remodeling Journey.....Part One

At last.....our sunporch redo dream became a reality! I have been so excited over this room. It's the first room we see when we come in from the carport. We have to pass through the sunporch to enter the house through the backdoor into the kitchen. I really wanted a cheerful, warm and inviting room!

We've had this room built on for years now, but it always just felt like a "detached" part and was an eyesore...with ugly linoleum (I can't believe I ever liked it...white of all colors!). That floor showed dirt in every groove! It also had very outdated wallpaper.

The ideas were rolling around in my head, but we had to wait a bit because of budget limitations. Jason wanted to completely tear out the walls and practically start over when we did decide to go for the remodel because we had some leaking problems around some of the windows.

So.....it all started last July. My friend, Kim, came over (who loves to decorate too by the way). I took her out on the porch and bounced my ideas off her. She took a look at the linoleum and decided it would come up very easily. So while our husbands sat inside with NO IDEA what we were doing (remember I WAS just going to show her the room and just share ideas!)....we grabbed a corner and just started pulling up linoleum. It DID come up easy but the part that followed wasn't so easy. I wish I had thought to take pictures (once you blog...you think of all those things). It was a mess under that linoleum!

We decided to stain the concrete floors so they wouldn't show dirt and so they could take a little abuse since it is a transition room from the outside to the inside. The hardest part was getting up glue from the old linoleum. We rented a sander and scraper (I believe it was called). My dad came over and worked and worked with that machine along with Jason. It left grooves where there had been glue because it was basically glue baked on by the years it was down with the sun shining in the windows on it. We finally got to the staining stage...coca cola red. Although, on a perfect concrete floor (with no previous glue), it wouldn't have looked this way...it turned out distressed. Luckily I LIKE distressed and it just worked fine out there for me. I like it more everyday because it is just so user friendly...doesn't show dirt much at all and we come in out of the pool into this area.

Here's a picture of the "distressed" stained concrete floor:

The next step was Jason tearing out all the walls and just beginning again...correcting places where there had been problem leaks and putting the windows in all over again. Joy and I got the job of scrubbing them down from years of insects and gunk in the corners! This was the longest phase because he and my father-in-law could only work on weekends (when we weren't already committed to other activities that is). This stage was hard because it was so ugly coming through this room everyday...and it was all through the Christmas holidays at that. I could picture the prettiest Christmas tree greeting me out there if only it was finished!

Then came my dad's part. He can do electrician work so he came in and put in all the outlets. I made sure to request plenty of outlets and he obliged. I wanted plenty of options for lamps and Christmas trees!

The next part was putting all the old cedar trim back up around the windows. By this time, it was late February/early March.

Finally in late March, we got to the fun part (for me anyway)....the decorating decision part. Jason put up beadboard. I picked a yellow...Chesapeake Sunset...from Lowe's. I mean I had lived with this color..looked at this color...for months and months..and it was perfect (I thought). Well when it went on...it was just too bright, especially against the cedar wall out there.

Here's a picture of the yellow when it first went on out of the can:

So we bought antiquing glaze and after several attempts (and painting over it again)...Jason found a brushed on effect that we liked. So..we primmed it up by distressed the paint on the beadboard and on the back door with the antique glaze. This shade of yellow (more muted) just complimented the cedar and the stained concrete floors so much better. It reminds me of an aged sunflower.


Here is a picture after we added the glaze. My dad came over and saw it and thought we didn't get good coverage and that it needed another coat! He was a little surprised when I told him that's how we wanted it to look!


Come to think of it, I bet our UPS man thinks we're pretty strange. He's seen this porch in all sorts of stages because it's where he leaves our packages. I imagine he was pretty surprised the last time he came and it actually looked like a room!

So with all the walls, windows and floor ready, it was time for me to have fun...let the decorating begin! If you'll come back tomorrow (for part two) I'll share pictures of the decorated sunporch....finally reality!

15 comments:

Colleen/And Baby Makes Five said...

I LOVE it ... and I can't wait to see more, Tammy! I hope this room was worth the wait... imagine all of your Christmas decorations out there this year. Wow!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Leslie said...

I can't wait to see it all decorated up! Congrats on getting the job done :) I would LOVE to have a sunporch but it's not happening in this house :(

Deb said...

It turned out great, I love that color and it does go well with the cedar. Deb

Julie said...

Looks just like a SUNPORCH should look--cheery and yellow. I love it. Have so much fun decorating. Julie

Katy said...

I don't know why...but everytime I come to your page...the middle background doesn't show up...so all i see is the blue type on the brown background and i can't read it..?? I am not sure why? I am so sorry! i really do want to be able to read it!

Tammy ~ Country Girl at Home ~ said...

Hmm..Katy. That has happened to someone else from the CS forum that tried to access it (only part of the time). I have no idea why. It is black type on a tan background. Does that always happen?

Tammy

Tammy said...

Thank you for stopping by...it is so nice to "meet" you!
It does sound like we have a lot in common...right down to our names! :)

Good luck with your remodeling! It's always hard work but so much fun to see the finished product!

I scrolled down and saw the picture of you and your brother...so sweet! God bless him as he serves our country!

I have you bookmarked now!
Blessings,
~Tammy

Tammy said...

(PS...I had the same problem reading the type on your page too that someone else mentioned until I clicked on the title of your post...then I could read it just fine! Just wanted to let you know!):)

Kindra-At Home With K said...

What a great space Tammy! I love the floors and the yellow you used! I can't wait to see more! Have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

it's cute! We did our sunroom last year & it turned out great!! We have a beautiful view of the bay from that room, so we did it a nautical theme. We did ceramic floors got new whicker furniture & as a bonus we added a lcd tv to the one available wall that did'nt have windows!! *sigh* i love it!! it looks very pottery barn:) I got my new etsy up finally! check it out:) www.thebuzybee.etsy.com

Katy said...

YAY!!! I can see it now!!! WOOT! I took your suggestion and clicked on the title of the post..and then i could read it!!! WOOHOO!!!

I love the yellow. And i totally loved how you distressed it!!! It looks fantastic!! :)
I love all your comments Tammy! Thank you so much for each of them! xoxo

Linda - Behind My Red Door said...

Oh boy - this is fun! I am so eager to see where the decorating takes you. Keep taking those pictures! ( I know what you mean - Ikeep thinking - darn - I shudda had my camera with me! LOL)
hugs, Linda

Farmhouse Blessings said...

Hi Tammy!
Thank you so much for your prayer support for Colton. He is doing so well. I just posted an updated on my blog. Your prayers have meant so very much to us.

Now about that room ... it is wonderful! I love the color combinations. By the way, my dad would have said the same thing. He doesn't "get" prim at all and he always wants to "fix" my work! LOL I think your room is perfect.

Blessings,
Lea

Farmhouse Blessings said...

Hi Tammy!
Thank you so much for your prayer support for Colton. He is doing so well. I just posted an update on my blog. Your prayers have meant so very much to us.

Now about that room ... it is wonderful! I love the color combinations. By the way, my dad would have said the same thing. He doesn't "get" prim at all and he always wants to "fix" my work! LOL I think your room is perfect.

Blessings,
Lea

Something Nice and Pretty said...

Love it, Love it, Love it. ou have did such a wonderful job and I really can't wait to see what Christmas in there will be like.

blessings Rondell